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crazychicken
6th April 2010, 03:04 AM
Anyone here raise cattle?

We have Saler's, a French multi-purpose breed.

Meat, cheese, milk.

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crazychicken
6th April 2010, 12:57 PM
I have been looking all over for a beef that has not had vaccinations or given any kind of drugs............ It isn't so easy!


Google Flying T Salers

They are the people I started my herd from.

Worth doing!

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crazychicken
6th April 2010, 01:21 PM
Hey that place is in Oregon........ Just a hop skip and jump from here! Thanks I might have to call them!


Where are you located?

We are on the Nevada/oregon line.

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ArgenteumTelum
6th April 2010, 03:39 PM
I have 4 Scottish Highland cattle. Very hardy breed, mild disposition, easy birthers and highest Omega 3,6,9s of the beef critters.

crazychicken
6th April 2010, 04:16 PM
I have 4 Scottish Highland cattle. Very hardy breed, mild disposition, easy birthers and highest Omega 3,6,9s of the beef critters.


Darn sure capable of handling weather. Our place out east next door has herd of them. Mild mannered no question.

Nice animals.

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Tumbleweed
6th April 2010, 09:01 PM
I have angus. Three and four year olds that are fat really taste good!!

skid
6th April 2010, 09:06 PM
For my place I am looking a getting Dexter cattle. Anyone had any experience with them?

skid
6th April 2010, 10:37 PM
I had Dexters...... I really liked them. My first one... Dexy was a wild thing with horns. I had to get them cut off her. I could never get her tamed down. My plan was to milk her, it didnt happen. She had two babies, a girl - who at 9 months old jumped a 52" fence to get to the bull at the farm behind us. The next one was a bull calf and I was amazed at the size that he put on in one year. He was really filled out. I had to sell them when we moved from Mizzery. If you get one, make sure it has been handled. Don't get a wild one! They can be sweet, good milkers and enough meat for a family of 4!


I thought they were calm, well dispositioned, small cattle. Yours sound like they were buffalo!:)

I don't want to get involved with milking, at least right now. Sounds like too much work. I heard (herd?) that they have perfect sized cuts of meat on them as compared to the super sized cows available nowadays. Thought I'd give them a try once my fencing is complete and my trees are a little larger. My neighbor's Herefords ruin small trees by rubbing their backs against them.

woodman
7th April 2010, 10:04 AM
I just sold my last two. One was a bull and the other was a steer. I will probably be busy working out of town this summer and they are just too much for my lady to handle while I'm away. Maybe in autumn I will get a breeding pair of Dexters. I have been wanting to try them as I heard they fatten up and make good eating on just grass. I live on the main road also and the thought of a 2000 lb. steer causing an accident worries me but these fellows don't get much bigger than a deer.

crazychicken
8th April 2010, 03:07 AM
Calving season finally over. Last one born two hours ago.

This year 94% conception rate.

91% birthing rate.

Best news: 61% heifers. YYAAAAHHOOOOOO!

Well-really the best news--I can go back sleeping. No more night shift on calf watch. Wife and daughter do the day shift. They are quick to point out they outrank me. LOL

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goldleaf
8th April 2010, 09:03 AM
I raise registered Angus, using grassfed genetics.

crazychicken
8th April 2010, 09:07 AM
What state are you in.

The grass-fed genetics is interesting.

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goldleaf
8th April 2010, 09:31 AM
Wisconsin. I equate this breeding of my cattle to people, you Know, like the guy
that eats like a pig, but never gets fat, or the person that seems to get fat on fresh air and water which is what I'm after. I want my cattle to gain weight on low
inputs. Strictly good pasture and hay, and there are genetics out there that will
give you these results.

crazychicken
8th April 2010, 09:57 AM
Wisconsin. I equate this breeding of my cattle to people, you Know, like the guy
that eats like a pig, but never gets fat, or the person that seems to get fat on fresh air and water which is what I'm after. I want my cattle to gain weight on low
inputs. Strictly good pasture and hay, and there are genetics out there that will
give you these results.


I have those genetics!!!!!


LOL

CC

goldleaf
8th April 2010, 10:40 AM
I'm guessing the eat all you want and never gain, right? ;) ;)

Gypsybiker45
18th April 2010, 05:32 PM
Considering the Highland cattle for my place in the San Luis Valley in CO. pretty cold there. anything special about this breed i need to know? are they better at defending themselves than Herefords?(some predators) also is their intelligence level lower or higher?

ArgenteumTelum
20th April 2010, 07:47 AM
I have never raised anything but Highlands, so I can't compare intelligence levels and I don't quite understand what you are asking. However, they are a very gentle breed and if halter-trained early, they quickly become accustomed to human interaction. They come to me when called. Don't let the horns frighten you. Mine are like pets and handled easily.

Six-wire, electrified hi-tensile works perfectly. A friend of mine has Highlands and uses sturdy 3-rail wooden fence with rails on both sides of the posts. He built this himself from an abundance of forest on his property and a sawmill set-up.

This is a very hardy breed. Farmers in the Aleutians prior to WWII chose them for this reason. Easy birthers.

You can get more info from the American Highland Cattle Association. Hope this helps.

Tumbleweed
24th April 2010, 06:14 PM
A friend of mine used to work for this ranch in Wyoming that raises Highlanders. It looks like they are selling all their highlanders this fall. Might be a good buying opportunity.

http://www.thorbardinranch.com/

ArgenteumTelum
28th April 2010, 08:07 PM
Thorbardin going the way of the tumble weed will be a very real loss to the Highland community. There are still plenty of farms with great genetics for this breed, but Thorbardin set the bar with genetic testing, scientific studies, etc. I wonder what the reason for shutting down might be?
AT

Tumbleweed
4th May 2010, 07:55 PM
AT I was visiting with my friend who used to work for them and she hasn't had contact with them since she left. She thought it was probably the economics of raising them. They are slow to mature and really arn't that popular. In my area if they come though a sale ring they usually sell cheap. Seems they are more of a novelty that anything else Although the meat is supposed to be excelent and they are hardy.

big country
9th May 2010, 05:02 PM
How well do highland cattle milk? How would they be for a family milk cow? High in butterfat or white milk?

Someday in the future we'd like to get a family milk cow, currently exploring all options. We won't need a huge producer for milk, even 1 gallon a day would provide plenty for the family I would think between milk, cheese, and yogurt I can't see us using more then that.

I'm sure some "do-it-all" breed is what I'm looking for since the meat would be used at the end of the useful milking life. Also, We've got Scottish blood so highland cattle appeal to us due to our heritage. (and yes, we both have kilts!)

Thanks

Gknowmx
9th May 2010, 06:22 PM
Yes, Grass feed

crazychicken
9th May 2010, 06:23 PM
How well do highland cattle milk? How would they be for a family milk cow? High in butterfat or white milk?

Someday in the future we'd like to get a family milk cow, currently exploring all options. We won't need a huge producer for milk, even 1 gallon a day would provide plenty for the family I would think between milk, cheese, and yogurt I can't see us using more then that.

I'm sure some "do-it-all" breed is what I'm looking for since the meat would be used at the end of the useful milking life. Also, We've got Scottish blood so highland cattle appeal to us due to our heritage. (and yes, we both have kilts!)

Thanks


What part of the country are you in?

CC

big country
10th May 2010, 05:28 AM
West Virginia

I wouldn't mind traveling to get the right breed for our family though if I have to.

Tumbleweed
11th May 2010, 05:50 AM
I think the highlanders would be a good choice for someone wanting small cows and only wants a few for meat and milk. There are wild and gentle ones in all breeds. If you were going to buy some I would sure tell the person you are buying them from to pick out some gentle ones for you. A friend of mine is coming to buy some young angus pairs from me. He wants me to pick out some gentle ones for him and I will. I take note of which ones are the most gentle. I have wilder ones too and that's alright for me because I make my living raising cattle and I can handle them. He makes his living as a dentist and doesn't have the experiance to handle anything but the gentle ones.

Sawing the horns off a gentle cow can make her wild! I know that from experiance ;D

My friend that worked for the Thorbadin ranch said the Highlanders were hard to keep in with barbed wire fence. She said you needed really good electric fence set at the hightest power level.

crazychicken
11th May 2010, 07:37 AM
West Virginia

I wouldn't mind traveling to get the right breed for our family though if I have to.


We race in Charlestown, a little ways from Martinsburg.

Our place is in northern Nevada. Quite a ways.

I was going to introduce you to the breed we have--Salers-A French dual purpose breed.

We like them.

Regards,
CC

big country
11th May 2010, 09:52 AM
West Virginia

I wouldn't mind traveling to get the right breed for our family though if I have to.


We race in Charlestown, a little ways from Martinsburg.

Our place is in northern Nevada. Quite a ways.

I was going to introduce you to the breed we have--Salers-A French dual purpose breed.

We like them.

Regards,
CC


Thanks for the offer. I'll check out that breed as well. If you were a little closer I would definitely check them out though.

We're still a little ways off from going forward with this, just general fact collecting at the moment. We're still looking for the perfect place for us to settle down, I dont think the landlord would appreciate us getting a cow right now! haha!

What do you race?

crazychicken
22nd June 2010, 04:43 AM
We race TBs inm Charlesetown and NY--Saratoga, Belmont and AQUADUCT.

Harness Racing in NJ-The Meadowlands; NY-Yonkers, Tioga, Monticello; Massachusetts-Plainridge

CC